Revival: Fresh Water in a Dry Land

In this Revival UPGRADE, Dawn reminds us that revival is highly personal before it ever passes to others.

Yesterday (6/20/23), I chatted with a good friend about revival. It's a topic I've always loved. But it's more than just "a topic."

God is everywhere-present; but when biblical revival comes, God's people sense His manifest, holy presence in greater, deeper ways.

I so long for that, but I don't pray for it enough. I don't cry out for it, desperate for God to move among us. It's not even a matter of getting weary in well-doing. To be honest, for me, it's the problem of not wanting it enough—not being willing to pay the price of earnest, fervent prayer for revival.

The church as a whole needs revival, not more "revival meetings"—though God may choose some godly servants to help bring revival.

I'm convinced our nation needs to see God's holiness and power in His people once again. It's already seen enough of hypocrisy and lukewarmness.

We are like dry land, parched in wickedness.

Revival is fresh water—Living Water—coursing through us and enlivening everything again.

When revival comes to our heart, the change in us will be a powerful witness to a watching world.

I remember the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water" (John 4:10). The non-believer needs this living water, and the Samaritan woman had only to "ask Him" for it. (She did, and the inhabitants of her village noticed the difference! She had a changed heart.)

Likewise, the Christian needs to ask for a revived heart. More than ask. Cry out for it!

Why? One reason is our witness. As one old saint said, "The world waits for a daily demonstration of the Christ who lives in you."

But also, the Christian desperately needs the freshness of revival because "Christian living" can grow old and stale. Sins can pile up. Selfishness can creep in. Self-sufficiency (independence from God) can take over.

I once heard something like this:

Let's stop looking around at the world and others and saying, "Oh my."

Let's allow God's Spirit to search us until we cry in repentance, "OH, ME!"

In other words . . .

• We can't wait for our brothers and sisters to bow in humility. Revival is personal—we need to hoist our own white flag in surrender to God.
• We can't wait for others to clean up their act; we need to allow God's Spirit to sweep our own heart clean.
• We can't wait for our church to cry out for revival; we need to cry out for it ourselves.

Del Fehsenfeld, Jr., the founder of Life Action Ministries—who first whet my appetite for revival in the church—said it this way:

"Revival, no matter how great or small in its ultimate scope, always begins with individual believers whose hearts are desperate for God, and who are willing to pay the price to meet Him."

It indeed involves surrender. As Bill McLeod—a pastor whose church experienced revival in the great Canadian Revival in 1971—said, "When I ask the Lord to fill me with His Holy Spirit I am, of course, relinquishing all rights to the control of my life for that day." I would add, "and every day."

Revival is a blessing, not the sad, negative experience some make it out to be. God loves us and He is good. He longs to draw us to Himself.

The only sad, negative thing about true revival is coming face to face with the ugliness of our sin.

What joy comes when fresh water is poured over a parched soul, trickling down to the depths of sin and washing it away.

God longs to do that in us. He will do that (Isaiah 44:3). Jesus came for that (John 4:14).

There's nothing like a Christian's joy when Christ reigns within. We have the river of life within us. Unlike anything the world offers, Jesus satisfies our thirst with Himself; and as we believe in Him, "rivers of living water will flow from within" (John 7:38)

It's not about DOING more for God to make us love us more or to bring Him pleasure. It's not about activity.

It's about simply BEING with Him and allowing Him to do His work.

The psalmist says, "Be still and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10). God is God and we are not. We cannot imagine what He might do when we seek our Father God for revival.

• Set aside all distractions.
• Bring your restless soul to the throne of God in prayer—cease striving.
• Offer Him your flag of surrender. Come in humility, desiring only His will.
• Confess all known sin—agree with Him that you have sinned (1 John 1:9).
  
• Cry out for revival. Begin (and keep on) crying out in prayer until it comes.
• Proclaim how wondrous God is, and the marvelous salvation He designed.
  

The psalmist continues (46:10), "I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." That will be completely true someday; but we can still exalt Him—praise Him, worship Him, obey Him, live sold out lives for Him—today.

And we can best do that with a revived heart.

Here's the kicker:

It's not enough to read about revival or listen to messages about it. It's not enough to acknowledge we need it. It's not enough to preach and teach and write about it. No. We need to CRY OUT for it.

It's not just another activity to add to an already busy life. It's part of our "be-ing" with God.

And yet we are content to let others take on the challenge.

Revivalist Leonard Ravenhill said, "The only reason we don't have revival is because we are willing to live without it!"

Sad, but true. For the church and for individuals.

So what are we going to do about it? I don't know about you, but the Holy Spirit is telling me there is nothing more important for me to do today but to begin crying out for revival in my own life.

Are you crying out for revival? Yes? Praise God! No? Will you begin today?

Dawn Wilson, founder and President of Heart Choices Today, is a speaker and author, and the creator the blog, Upgrade with Dawn. She is a contracted researcher/reviewer for women's teacher and revivalist, Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth at Revive Our Hearts, and is a regular columnist at Crosswalk.com. She and her husband Bob live in sunny Southern California, and Dawn has traveled with Him in Pacesetter Global Outreach. They have two grown, married sons, three granddaughters and a rascally maltipoo, Roscoe.

Graphic adapted. Original is a photo on Soundscapes' television music channels.

It's Time for Christians to Repent

Yvonne Ortega doesn't back down from telling people the truth, because she knows it is the truth that sets people free and heals their brokenness. In this Spiritual Life UPGRADE, she hones in on an often-forgotten truth: God's people need to be holy, and repentance is necessary when the Holy Spirit shows us our sin.

“It’s time for Christians to repent.

"As Christians," Yvonne says, "we may talk about and pray for revival in our country, but it’s time for us to repent of partial or incomplete obedience, which is disobedience or rebellion against God.

I (Dawn) have seen so many ministries across America and around the world focusing on the need for revival.

I traveled with a revival team for a number of years and saw what happened in churches when God's people got serious with Him about their sin. Yvonne's words may seem harsh to some people, but they are really words of love for God's people and His holiness.

Yvonne continues . . .

Joshua told the Israelites,

Be very careful to love the Lord your God (Joshua 23:11 NIV).

In verse 16, Joshua warned them, If you violate the covenant of the Lord your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them, the Lord’s anger will burn against you, and you will quickly perish from the good land he has given you.

Perhaps some of us look at Joshua 23:11 and 16 and don’t think those verses apply to us. After all, we no longer live under Old Testament Law but under the New Covenant.

Here are three ways in which those verses do apply.

1. We have often kept quiet in the face of opposition to our covenant with the Lord.

We have not fought for truth. Instead, in the name of multicultural diversity, tolerance, and peace at any price, we have allowed laws and practices contrary to our love for God to abound.

Let’s repent of not loving the Lord as the Bible commands us.

In Matthew 22:37–38, Jesus replied [to an expert in the Law]: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.’

2. We have served the gods of materialism and forgotten what God Almighty has done for us.

During this pandemic, in the United States alone, thousands are in hospitals in critical condition, and thousands have died. Those in the medical field, rescue workers, and caregivers risk their lives daily to keep us safe and healthy.

• Meanwhile, we complain that we can’t get our nails done or go to the tanning booth at the spa.
• We may not be starving, but we moan about the lack of our favorite foods.
• Perhaps we groan about the social distancing restrictions at the golf club.
• At the same time, we dislike the pick-up or delivery-only policies of our favorite restaurant.

Yet, others are hurting because of a lack of money to cover necessities, such as rent or a mortgage and food. They can’t afford pick-up or delivery.

Like the Israelites, we forget all that God has given us and the miracles of the past.

We only focus on our comfort and serve the gods of materialism.

3. We have not hated sin—the works of darkness or evil that God hates.

There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him:

haughty eyes (a proud, arrogant look), a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood,

a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil,

a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community (Proverbs 6:16–19 NIV).

Any one of those sins separates us from our holy heavenly Father God.

Ask the Lord to show you His holy heart.

Perhaps we are thinking we have confessed all our sins and never murdered anyone. We need to examine our hearts according to 1 John 3:15.

That verse says,

Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.

Jesus gives us confirmation of the Old Testament in Matthew 5:17.

He says, Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

Look also at Romans 3:23—For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Yes, It's time for Christians to repent.

Can we stand before God and say we don’t need to repent, because we haven’t sinned and fallen short of the glory of God? Friend, ask the Lord to show you His holy heart.

Yvonne Ortega walks with a small footprint but leaves a giant imprint in people’s lives. She is the author of the Moving from Broken to Beautiful® Series through cancer, forgiveness, and grief. Yvonne speaks with honesty and humor as she shares her life and struggles to help women find peace, power, and purpose through God’s Word. She celebrates life at the beach where she walks, builds sand castles, blows bubbles, and dances. Read more about Yvonne at www.YvonneOrtega.com.

Graphic adapted, courtesy of Delanie at Lightstock.

Our Part: 'Responding'

Although the Christian’s life is transformed by the Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit—and we never want to forget that—there are plenty of commands in the scriptures that show our part in responding to the scriptures and Spirit of God.

Here are some things we can do that God can use to UPGRADE our lives spiritually ... but they are also the catalysts to change in many areas of life:

1. Realize Our Need for God. Not only do we need Him for our salvation, we need Him to become holy, effective servants in His kingdom. UPGRADING isn’t about self-effort; it’s about God’s effort in us. Christ will strengthen us (Philippians 4:13), and God is faithful to help us (1 Corinthians 10:13), but we need to respond to Him—yield to Him (Romans 6:1-19) and not try to change independent of Him.

2. Renew Our Mind (Romans 12:2). We do this as we read, study and memorize the Bible. Not only will we discover more about the God who loves us, we will find ways to overcome temptation, find freedom from habits and addictions, and become a success - by God’s definition (Deuteronomy 6:6-9; Joshua 1:8; Proverbs 3:5-7; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Ephesians 6:17; Hebrews 4:12).

3. Respond to the Scriptures. We decide to obey. (I have a "Yes, Lord" reminder card in my Bible.) We create a plan to upgrade our lives based on the scriptures. Devise to do good, not evil (Proverbs 14:22). We are to be steadfast (1 Corinthians 15:58) and obedient (James 1:22-25). We can ask God how to become His disciple with “steadfast purpose” (James 1:5; Luke 14:26-33; Acts 11:23).

4. Repent as God leads. Repentance is changing our mind about sin with determination to stop sinning and live for God (Acts 8:22). God does not want His children to cover up sins and weaknesses. He doesn’t want us to excuse ourselves or blame others. We need true sorrow over sin (2 Corinthians 7:10). God has provided all we need to repent and change. Put off sinful habits and put on new ones (Ephesians 4:22-32).

5. Reach out to others in the Body of Christ. We are in one body, unified in Christ, to encourage and help each other obey, serve and worship God. When we struggle, we can share our need and pray for each other (James 5:16; Galatians 6:2). We attend church to learn more about God, but also to be encouraged and encourage others toward “love and good works” (Hebrews 10:24-25).

6. Rely on God for the Changes We Need. This is God-confidence. The Spirit of will empower us to live for the Lord. If we commit to Him, He will accomplish His will in and through us (Psalm 37:5; 2 Corinthians 9:8). We can pray for His help (1 Thessalonians 5:17; 1 Peter 5:7; Philippians 4:6-7), especially when tempted (Matthew 26:36-46). It’s wise to be patient for change (Galatians 6:9; 2 Peter 3:18), and live the Christian life one day at a time (Matthew 6:33-34), giving ourselves grace—because God gives us grace!

Which of these areas of ‘Responding’ is the hardest for you?

Dawn Wilson is the founder of Heart Choices Ministries and creator of UpgradeWithDawn.com. Dawn's ministry encourages, edifies and energizes women with the truth of scripture so they can better enjoy life, bless others and honor God.